Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hermes Comes to America


In class, we discussed how Stewie from Family Guy could easily be a modern day Hermes. But it is interesting how Hermes has embodied the American dream since before Manifest Destiny. The cunning trickster is really what capitalism is all about. Step one: Be inventive. Hermes very slyly invents the lyre and then from step two: Use such inventions to get ahead. Hermes uses the lyre to give to Apollo in order to get his support to join the ranks of the gods. And finally my favorite, step three: if you can't afford it, steal it. Hermes is a well known thief, but from the time of cattle rustlers to corrupt bankers, America has harbored a den of thieves. So really, it doesn't matter what form Hermes takes or what name, such as Stewie. He will always be around in the good ol' U.S. of A.

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